a progressive chronic disorder of the central nervous system characterized by impaired muscular coordination and tremor
Often shortened to: Parkinson's. Also called: Parkinsonism, Parkinson's syndrome, paralysis agitans, shaking palsy
Word origin
C19: named after James Parkinson (1755–1824), British surgeon, who first described it
Parkinson's disease in American English
(ˈpɑrkɪnsənz)
a degenerative disease of later life, characterized by a rhythmic tremor and muscular rigidity, caused by degeneration in the basal ganglia of the brain